Hyderabad cylinder blast death toll hits 12

• 45-year-old M Akram breathes his last in wee hours of Monday.
• His body was completely burned in the unfortunate incident.
• Sindh government announces Rs1m for families of deceased.
  

KARACHI: The death toll from the cylinder blast, which took place in the Preetabad area of Hyderabad, has hit 12 after another person succumbed to his injuries, officials in the port city said early Monday.

Data from Karachi's Civil Hospital showed that 45-year-old M Akram, son of Munshi, breathed his last in the wee hours of Monday. His body was completely burned in the unfortunate incident.

To pass before him was victim Faizan Ishaq, a 32-year-old, whose funeral prayers were offered at Faizan Madina Affandi Town, as per The News.

Hyderabad Mayor Kashif Shoro had Sunday went to Preetabad to offer condolences to the relatives of the victims.

He expressed deep sorrow over the tragic deaths and informed the bereaved families that the Sindh government had announced Rs1 million as compensation for the family of each deceased person and Rs500,000 for each injured.

Later, the Hyderabad mayor went to the burns ward of the Civil Hospital, Karachi, where he enquired after the injured persons receiving treatment. Nawabshah Mayor Qazi Abdul Rasheed, Town Municipal Corporation Nerun Kot Chairman Manthar Jatoi, Pakistan Peoples Party leader Farid Qureshi, and Hyderabad Municipal Corporation Municipal Commissioner Jam Zahoor Ahmed Lakhan accompanied Shoro during the visit.

The tragic explosion occurred on Thursday at a shop of liquefied petroleum gas cylinders in the Preetabad area of Hyderabad. When people moved towards the shop to put out the fire after the first blast at 6pm, another loud explosion took place, which engulfed the shop in flames and caused fires in some adjacent houses and shops in the densely populated area of the city.

Initially, two deaths and 49 injuries were reported. Those with serious injuries were shifted to the Civil Hospital Hyderabad, Combined Military Hospital and Civil Hospital Karachi.

According to eyewitnesses, one of the fires also burned a rickshaw and injured several passers-by. People sitting in houses around the shop suffered burn injuries as well. They said the fire brigade reached the scene 40 minutes after the first explosion.